Stenographic machine



M. H. WRIGHT Jan. 1,1946.

STENOGRAPHIC MACI iINE iginal Filed Dec. 16, 1939 Wade/afar MiZimJ-l M hi Patented Jan. 1, 1946 STENOGRAPHIC MACHINE Milton B. Wright, Lake Bluff, Ill., assignor to Stenographic Machines Inc., a corporation of Illinois Original application December 16, 1939, Serial No. 309,582. Divided and this application May 18, 1942, Serial No. 443,469

1 Claim.

This invention relates to stenographic machines of the type which is used to record the spoken word. Such machines are used in reporting conferences, court procedure, and the like, and in business oflices for recording dictation.

More particularly, the present invention has to do witha keyboard for such machines wherein an elongated bar hereinafter referred to as a numeral bar is provided with spaced depressions adjacent to one edge of the bar and aligned with adjacent keys similarly provided with depressions. The purpose of these cooperating depressions is to facilitate the proper finger positioning during operation of the machine. This finger placement is of utmost importance, particularly in high speed operation of the machine, and the present invention has as one of its objectives the function of aiding operators in improving their accuracy in operating, particularly at high speeds.

The above constitute some of the principal objects and advantages of the present invention, others of which will become apparent from the drawing and a reading of the following description, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine fully assembled; and

Fig. 2 i an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

For the purpose of disclosing the present invention in compliance with Section 4888 of the Revised Statutes, a specific embodiment of the invention has been selected, but, obviously, many modifications may be made without departing from the present invention.

This application is a division of copending case Serial No. 309,582, filedDecember 16, 1939, now Patent 2,319,273.

General organization Referring to Fig. 1, the machine forming the subject matter of the preesnt invention has a plurality of keys, generally indicated at 25, operatively connected to type bars 26 acting against a platen 21. Between the type bars 26 and the platen 21 i an inked ribbon 28, and paper 29 is fed between the ribbon and the platen. As any key or combination of keys 25 is depressed, the corresponding type bar or bars 26 are moved against the ribbon 28 to make an impression on th paper 29. The platen 21 is rotatably mounted on the machine, and a clutch 30, operatively connected to the keys 25 through suitable mechanism, rotates the platen 21 during a depression stroke of the keys, and at the end of the stroke an impression corresponding to the key being depressed is made on the paper.

As shown in Fig. 1, there are 22 keys, 21 of which represent letters of the alphabet; and, by combinations of these letters, dictation is recorded phonetically. The twenty-second key, indicated at 3| in Fig. 1, represents an asterisk, as shown.

Each of the type bars 26 has two types embossed on its end. The types on the aligned type bars are arranged in an upper and lower row, with the upper row normally in operative alignment with the platen.

Directly behind the bank of keys 25 is a numeral bar 32 extending the full length of the keyboard, and this bar is operatively connected to the bank of type bars 25 so that, upon depressing the numeral bar 32, the type bars are shifted to raise the type and of the bars to bring the lower set of type 34 into operating alignment with the platen. On certain keys, the lower types are numerals, and, upon depressing these keys with the numeral bar, impressions of numbers 1-9, inclusive, are made. The bottom of the type bar actuated by key 3| is left blank, so that depressing this key together with the numeral bar 32 serves as a space key to rotate the platen and advance the paper without making any impressions.

On the top surfac of the numeral bar 32 are depressions 30! in direct alignment with the top bank of keys. These depressions aid in guiding the fingers to their proper positions on the numeral bar. As shown, for example, in Fig. 1, the depressions 30! are approximately semi-circular in plan view, and are disposed along the edge of the numeral bar adjacent to keys 25. The bottom surface of ach depression is approximately level with the adjacent surface of the key 25, as best shown in Fig. 2, so that the operators finger will engage both surfaces simultaneously when striking the numeral bar and the adjacent key 25. This stroke is accomplished by centering the finger approximately over the crack between key 25 and the numeral bar 32 (see Fig. 2). Since the surfaces thus engaged by the operators finger are on the same level, an equal force is applied to the key and the numeral bar as a result of the depression stroke. If the finger is not centered properly with respect to the key 25, when stroking both the key and the numeral bar 32 (see Fig. 1) the operators finger will strike one side of the depression, and from his sense of touch he is immediately reminded of thefact that his hand has moved laterally with respect to the adjacent key 25. This constant reminder tends to correct bad habits developed from improper finger movement and also aids in teaching proper fingering to besinners.

I claim:

For use in a stenographic machine of the class described, a keyboard including an elongated numeralhar anda plurality of keys disposed in substantially} thelsaiiie plane witHtheInninerflf bar and elo'se'ly'adjacentthereto; each key'halvingits top surface provided with an elongated depression leading to the edge thereof adjacent the 10 numeral bar, the surface of the numera1 bar hav 

